Why this ride
A natural corridor of river bends, cliffs and historic settlements. It also links naturally to Banks of the Danube and Buda Castle Quarter.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Danube Bend Loop
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 114 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 22
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Avoid motorway routing and check local road works. Specific flag: traffic.
Seasonal context
Apr-Oct
Scenic road chapters
Hungary Danube Bend Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 19 km this is Hungary Danube Bend Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 19 km
- Named road
- Hungary Danube Bend Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Budapest
Budapest is two cities that were joined in 1873: hilly, historic Buda on the west bank of the Danube, and flat, lively Pest on the east. The river between them is wide and powerful, crossed by a string of bridges, of which the Chain Bridge, opened in 1849, is the oldest and most graceful. From the Buda side, the castle hill rises above the water with its palace and the spire of Matthias Church, and across the river the neo-Gothic Parliament building stretches along the bank, lit gold at night. It is one of the best-looking capitals in Europe, and it knows it.
Read the complete Budapest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Budapest sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Szentendre.
2. Szentendre
Szentendre is the artists' town of the Danube Bend, a short ride north of Budapest, with narrow cobbled streets, baroque churches and a mass of little galleries and cafés. It has been a popular day out for people from the capital for generations, and the old centre fills with visitors on any warm weekend. But the town is small enough, and the houses colourful enough, that it keeps its charm, and the riverside promenade on the Danube is a pleasant place to rest.
Read the complete Szentendre write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Szentendre comes up 23 km in. Next is Visegrád.
3. Visegrád
The Danube makes a sharp turn at Visegrád, squeezing between two ranges of hills in a narrow gorge before swinging south toward Budapest, and the town sits at the point of the bend, below a fortress that watches the whole thing. The citadel stands on a steep hill about three hundred and fifty metres above the river, and its walls look out over the water, the town and the forested slopes across the way. It is one of the best views in Hungary, and it has been used for strategic purposes for more than a thousand years.
Read the complete Visegrád write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
46 km in you reach Visegrád. Next is Esztergom.
4. Esztergom
Esztergom was Hungary's capital before Budapest was anything, and the Hungarians still talk about it with a sort of quiet pride. Stephen, the first Christian king, was born here around the year 975, and he was crowned in 1000 or 1001, so in a sense the nation begins on this bluff above the Danube. Kings lived in the castle on the hill until the thirteenth century, when a Mongol invasion pushed them south, and the town became the seat of the Catholic primate of Hungary, which it remains.
Read the complete Esztergom write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Esztergom, late in the day. Next is Budapest.
5. Budapest
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Budapest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Budapest sits at 114 km, late in the day.